2) "Mysteries of Planet Earth" by Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker (I also had the privilege of meeting the man and conversing with him extensively on a number of occasions)

3) "The Unexplained" by Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker

4) "The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings" by Edgar Allan Poe

5) "Letter To a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris.

I've read many more, but this is my "desert island" list. When I read, I prefer to be taking in knowledge of something, rather than reading a fictional story, but Edgar Allan Poe is by far the greatest macabre-fiction writer, in my opinion (but, again, I haven't had much exposure). His use of poetry mixed with mystery and darkness creates an atmosphere that is captivating and beautiful. I still want to get "Quothe the Raven: Nevermore" tattooed somewhere on me but I can't seem to pick out a suitable spot xD

The only book that has made me change the way that I look at the world. Get it. Read it. I (almost) insist.

The Foundation series - Isaac Asimov

A wonderful sci-fi series that stays in your mind long after you've stopped reading them.

The Heliconia trilogy - Brian W. Aldiss

Awesome trilogy that includes the creation of a religion... based around a totally unaware individual who certainly wasn't a prophet. I just loved how that was presented and how it can be applied to our own history.

The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

Primarily because it got me into Banks - who remains my favourite author. It would be too greedy to include all of his books. Also, if you like sci-fi and want to read some fucking awesome sci-fi, please pick up a copy of Consider Phlebas and follow the Culture Series from beginning to end.

Magician - Raymond E. Feist

How a fantasy book should be written. I was torn between Magician and the utterly utterly wonderful series that he co-wrote with Janny Wurts: Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire & Mistress of the Empire.

The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings can't go unmentioned, but they're so obvious that it would be unfair to use up one of the top 5 spots with them. So many other books I'd have liked to mention Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon is one of my most-read books. Pern was an oft-revisited planet.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (I think that by reading this, it really helped me to get out of religion all together. Not that it portrays religion in a bad way, it's hard to describe why it helped, but it really did.)